Real Acceptance

I have spent most of my life living with a lot of guilt; feeling (and sometimes being told) that my best wasn’t good enough, that everything was my fault, and often failing the expectations of myself and others... even God.

Our culture programs us to think that significance and acceptance is based on performance. If we behave properly, we will be loved, accepted and rewarded; but when we mess up love is withdrawn.

Love is often conditional: "I’ll love you if…", "I’ll love you when…", "I love you because… " or "If you'll ______ then I will love you."

God has a different economy. "When John the Baptist baptized Jesus, a voice was heard from heaven as He came up out of the water, “You are my Son, whom I love, and I am fully pleased with you” (Matthew 3:17).

At this point Jesus hadn’t yet begun teaching, performing miracles or healing; yet God’s acceptance was a given. I don't think He just felt that way about "His Perfect One", but I think He loves all His children like that--He doesn't play favorites.

It is the same thing with us. God delights in you, His son or daughter, just as you are. God’s love and acceptance of us is not based on performance. God says, “I love you; period.” You are pleasing to God already. You bring pleasure to God right now. You are valued by God just as you are.

There is nothing you can do to make God love you more; and nothing you can do to make God love you less... and there is nothing you can do to alter that fact.

Right now, without doing anything, God is pleased with you. He delights in you. He loves you. How you respond to that is the big choice.

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." (1 John 4:7-11)